In this short essay I describe an easy to follow, step by step approach to deciding on and undertaking a project for your middle school science fair. As you’ll discover, what may seem quite daunting, can actually be very educational… and a lot of fun!

The initial step is to determine the experiment for your project. While you need to consider your teacher’s expectations, I would also encourage you to opt for an experiment that demonstrates how something works, and preferably, addresses a question people have about how the world operates.

When determining the kind of project to embark upon, you may, of course, be limited by what apparatus and materials you have around. Select something that’s realistic for you to undertake – you don’t want to be wasting time assembling all the ingredients, when you could be getting your experiment underway. It’s also a good idea to choose a science project that excites – or at least, interests – you. This just makes your project more fun to work on.

To help you brainstorm some ideas, check out the following questions that you could design an experiment to address:

1. Do different brands of bubble bath produce more or fewer bubbles? What makes the bubbles in baths pop?

2. Is all mold the same – i.e. does the same kind of mold grow on old vegetables compared with old bread?

3. Does sticky tape stick to some surfaces and not to others?

4. Which has more vitamins – canned, frozen, or fresh corn?

5. What kinds of soil are necessary to grow certain kinds of grass?

6. Where do you need to water plants to ensure they grow? Compare watering near the roots with watering the leaves.

Once you’ve chosen your project, it’s time to get it underway. Ideally, take your time and work in an environment where neither you, nor your experiment, will be interrupted. In many cases, you will have an expectation of what the outcome will be. If this outcome doesn’t occur, start the experiment gain, double-checking to make sure that there are no external influences. Otherwise, perhaps you’ve found an exception to the “rule” which may be interesting in itself.

When speaking about your project, I suggest you take it slowly, and be as cool, calm and calculated as possible. If you need notes, by all means use them, but try not to read them. Start off by introducing yourself and what your project is about, then explain the process and results, concluding by discussing the implications. By all means practice your presentation in front of parents, siblings and friends, and try to work out what questions the audience is likely to ask.

As your teacher and parents have probably told you, the middle school science fair is an opportunity to explore something you don’t know, discover how remarkable our planet is, and have fun too. So be sure to choose a project you’re interested in, and try to enjoy yourself.